The Incredibles

Incredibly, I've never seen this before, but I watched it with my father Thanksgiving evening on TV. Wow, they put a lot of commercials in shows now. You'd think they're asking the few without a DVR to go buy one.

This was a good film. A little dark, sure - I was surprised to see death in a "children's" film, but the plot was solid, the pacing great, and the dialog entertaining. Where's the sequel?

The Incredibles
2004, 115 minutes, directed by Brad Bird

Quantum of Solace

I'm disappointed. Sure, it started fast - picking up right where Casino Royale leaves off - but the action is frantic and choppy, lacking the focus and drive of the first film. Then the drive just goes into neutral, and the film drops into a mobster-of-the-week story. The intensity of the story line just doesn't maintain the action I hoped for.

I look forward to the next film, so we can again see driving action and get anywhere in the overall arc.

Quantum of Solace
2008, 106 minutes, directed by Marc Forster

Casino Royale

Raw. Rash. Sharp. Brutal. Tragic.

Casino Royale
2006, 144 minutes, directed by Martin Campbell

To be honest, I saw two separate, 30-minute snippets at my wife's aunt's house on Independence Day - Miami and Venice. I knew what to expect, but it is still a shock.

Eagle Eye

I could have seen this last month at Fantastic Fest, but I chose to see small-budget Surveillance instead. Afterwards, having been not-so-enthralled with my choice, I thought that maybe the big-budget studio dropping would have been the better option.

Anyway, back from vacation, I finally caught up to the point that I could catch a film, and this was still on my list. It starts well - action scenes unfolding in a way I hadn't seen before. But then, halfway through, all that unexpectedness ends and it becomes rote formula. I guess it's an acceptable run-of-the-mill modern thriller, but I think the independent film was the better option.

Eagle Eye
2008, 118 minutes, directed by D. J. Caruso